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La Roux - La Roux
My god the record industry really is desperate at the moment isn’t it…and by that I mean the major labels of course, as they look at what has been selling well over recent years and come up with the word ‘female’, the hunt / chase / search is on for the next big artist they can find and break out, to follow on from Lily Allen, Duffy, Amy Winehouse and Adele.
So far they seem to be pinning their hopes firmly on three artists.
Florence And The Machine came into this year as the most hyped artist, but since then things have gone relatively quiet and they seem to be letting her build herself a little slower, with a couple of single releases, some support slots with Blur and the album kind of sneaking out rather than being rammed down our throats.
Little Boots be it through choice or lack of has been the must see, must buy stuff by artist for the last few months in the press, while she seems a really nice girl and certainly has talent, her debut album (reviewed last issue) was something of a disappointment. Sure it had a a few good tracks but it lacked personality and isn’t likely to dominate the remainder of the year as the label probably hoped.
So that leaves Elly Jackson as La Roux, the flame haired, high pitched electro artist who is signed to Polydor Records, again she’s had a lot of hype and has certainly got the hits in the bag, with the over rated In For The Kill, being easily surpassed by current number one Bulletproof.
The track is a brilliant pop song, a great chorus and instantly catchy, which is exactly what you would expect and want from a potential pop star. How does the rest of the album sit alongside that track and can it deliver on the hype and expectation that the industry is throwing her way?
- La Roux
- La Roux (2009)
- Category: Album
- Label: Polydor Records
- Reviewed by: Kev
- Published on: 29 Jun 2009
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
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Add to favouritesI personally don’t think the self-titled debut does. Like the Little Boots album, even though yes it is a pop album, it feels over produced in places, when that happens a lot of the tracks kind of blend into one after a few listens. The other downside has to be her voice, while on some tracks it hits just the right level and pitch, it really can grate when you are listening to a full album by her, never mind if you had to listen to a live set from her.
On the plus side though when she gets the tracks right and gives her voice something to work with she shows signs of being the star in the making. Bulletproof obviously, but also Quicksand (a previous single) is as close to that in quality as you could hope for and i’d imagine will get a re-release at some point.
Cover My Eyes shows a whole different side to her that is probably something i’d like to see explored more. It’s a track that tugs at your emotions and one most people can probably associate with, as she tells how she has to cover her eyes when she see’s her ex with his new girlfriend. More of this emotionally raw stuff would certainly have helped to lift what is otherwise only a fairly average album with some good flourishes.
The search goes on for those labels.
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